Five Tips for Painting Your Metal Carport

A metal carport offers the highest durability for outdoor vehicle storage. Metal carports have lower maintenance requirements when compared to wooden carports, however, due to rust and corrosion, they do need to be painted on an occasional basis to maintain their original stateliness. Here are 5 tips that will help you when painting your metal carport:

1 – Make Sure the Primer and Paint are Compatible

Many times, people tend to delve straight into the task at hand to finish as quickly as possible. After a few days, you might notice that the paint is peeling off. This can occur as a result of a lack of compatibility of the primer and paint. Always read the entire labels of the products you are using. Some paints might not adhere properly in the long term due to chemicals in the primer.

2 – Prepare the Surface Properly

Surface preparation of your metal carport is by far the most important job. Approximately 80 percent of all paint failures can be traced back to metal surfaces that are not cleaned beforehand or given adequate attention. First, you must clean the present surface of your metal carport to remove contamination such as oil, grease, and loose paint. All the previously mentioned ‘contaminants’ interfere with the bonding of the paint to the surface. A sandpaper or wire brush will work wonders to remove the dust and grime.

3 – Roughen up the Surface of your Metal Carport

Even before applying the primer or paint you should roughen up the surface of the metal with sandpaper. The sandpaper effect will increase the surface area which is exposed to attach to primer or paint. This, in turn, results in a stronger adhesive power between metal carport and primer. Remember to remove the small dust particles as these would interfere with the binding of the paint and primer.

4 - Wait for each Coat of Paint to Dry Before You Re-coat

You should be patient before adding a new layer of paint. If you do not leave ample time before re-coating, you will end up with a surface that is not smooth. Furthermore, the brush would get sticky and the final product would not have a beautiful even finish.

5 – Try to Paint Horizontally as Often as Possible

Metal can prove to be a very slippery surface. Paint can easily dribble downwards. If your brush strokes are parallel to the surface of the ground, this dribbling would be greatly reduced. Follow this tip especially in the last few layers of paint you will add. It is a simple tip but the final aesthetic result varies greatly. Remember not to paint with volumes of paint that the brush can’t handle. Splashing large volumes of paint will result in excessive dribbling.

Even a large metal carport can be painted properly in a day. It is a job that requires time, patience and some technique. If you manage to perform the task properly your metal carport will look brand new